Deep Space, Today:
For something that was nicknamed by its pilot as 'The School Bus', it certainly had style: a civilian vessel temporarily leased by Starfleet, it was designed for short-term tourism, with a large central area dominated by a series of tables and chairs and overlooked by large observation windows, now currently filled with streaked starscape as the engines dilated normal space into a warped version of itself. The third-year cadets it currently carried sat around, availing themselves of food and drink from the nearby dispensers, or read or chatted anxiously about their unknown final destination.
Or in the case of those at the table at the extreme rear, played a game of Kal-toh, a surprisingly addictive Vulcan game where opponents moved a chaotic stack of holographic rods in order to create ordered patterns - or destroyed the efforts made by one's opponents. Vulcans protested that outsiders had turned what was meant to be a meditative game reflecting the quest for finding logic within illogic into a competition, and released versions of the game where such tactics cost a player points instead of earning them. But most just sought out the original versions. They were more fun.
Assuming one was paying attention. "This is not gonna end well," Sasha Hrelle announced to no one in particular, drawing back strands of blonde from her forehead. She had finished her iced mocha some time ago, but didn't want to rise and get another and risk being seen, and was waiting for someone else at the table to go for something themselves so she could ask. But no one was rising.
"Then concede. There is nothing dishonourable in that course of action," her friend beside her suggested, studying the board in front of her. Eydiir Daughter-of-Kaas of the Ten Tribes of Capella was tall and lithe like most of her race, with skin the colour of polished mahogany, sable hair cropped down to the scalp and a dour attitude, at least to those who didn't know her.
She wasn't the first Capellan to join Starfleet, but she was the first with a Medical major, her combat-oriented race only recently accepting the notion that the sick and injured did not have to be left to die, that a fight to save their lives was every bit as honourable as a duel. "And you can get me another sandwich while you're at it."
On Sasha's other side, Jonas Ostrow looked up from his seat, his brow furrowing. "Are you going for something? I could do with another coffee, extra cream, extra sugars please." He was a skinny, swarthy figure, with wide eyes and shimmering, silver-tinted hair indicative of a lineage spent mostly in space collecting mutations along the way, and an easy-going accent usually heard in colonies near the Outer Rim.
On Jonas' other side, Neraxis Nemm snorted. "Extra cream, extra sugars." She was a heavy-set Bolian, like all of her people blue-skinned, bald with dark-blue bands along the scalp, a prominent vertical ridge bisecting her body, and dark eyes that narrowed as she studied the board. "Why don't I just pop out a teat and let you suckle on that?"
"I wouldn't do that," Eydiir advised. "Bolian bodily fluids are corrosive to other species. I read a case study during the summer about a human who had unprotected sexual relations with a Bolian, and-"
"-And we don't need to hear the details," Jonas assured her, blushing and ignoring the chuckles from Neraxis.
"I don't know how all of you can just sit there calmly," Sasha asked, her eyes fixed on something other than the game. "He's almost here."
No one looked up. No one needed to, knowing who she meant: one of the last cadets to be picked up, from the Starfleet Academy Annex at Beta Aquilae II. Since his arrival, he had been moving from table to table, obviously introducing himself and allowing the other cadets time to properly appreciate the honour bestowed upon them. He would grin or laugh, sometimes not even only at his own jokes, slap backs in a manly fashion with the male cadets and flirt with the female ones.
"He needs kicking," Sasha decided.
"He doesn't seem so bad," Jonas noted. "You might even end up liking each other."
"But if not," Eydiir assured Sasha, "I have weapons in my bag behind you."
"Hi there." He drew up a chair from an adjacent table and set it between Sasha and Eydiir, sitting on it backwards and resting his arms on the top of the back of it. He had bronzed, chiselled features and perfect teeth and chestnut-brown hair, and looked like he was physically incapable of not smiling. "I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to meet and greet sooner. My name's Giles. Giles..." He paused for dramatic effect.
And Sasha stole his thunder, pretending to be engrossed in the game despite currently scoring last. "Arrington?"
He beamed at her. "I see my reputation precedes me."
"No, your voice does; we've heard you talking to everyone else before us, and were all sitting here wondering what we'd done to miss out on the honour of meeting you sooner."
He held up a reassuring hand. "Hey, I promise you it wasn't intentional, I had to start somewhere." He glanced at her side of the board, reached down and worked the controls, forming a pattern on her behalf and earning her points. "You should pay more attention, that was an obvious move."
He missed the looks Sasha exchanged with Eydiir to continue, "I'm majoring in Command, as you can imagine, although of course I also had to choose a minor in Flight Control and Astrogation, but that's okay because I'm a decent pilot, I even have my own solar yacht back at Beta Aquilae. I got it for my twelfth birthday; if you find yourselves in that area, I'll give you a spin around the local sun in it. How about the rest of you?"
"No, I don't have a yacht," Sasha admitted, deadpan.
He chuckled politely. "No, I mean, what are your names, your majors, some interesting facts about you?"
When Sasha didn't respond, the answers started from her right. "I'm Jonas Ostrow, majoring in Engineering. I'm from Hyralan, my family runs a salvage business."
"Hi, Jonas! I love the accent, very rustic, it's good to know the Academy hasn't forgotten those out in the provinces. And who's your charming-looking friend there?"
"Oh, this is Neraxis Nemm, she's majoring in Security." He paused, when he realised the Bolian girl wasn't going to follow up on it herself. "Interesting fact about her? Well, uh, her favourite food is Terran Kippers Vindaloo."
"With extra chillies," she finally added.
Giles beamed to her. "Pleasure to meet you, Neraxis! I really like Bolians. My nanny was Bolian, and so was one of our cooks; your people make marvellous contributions to the service industry."
Neraxis looked up at him now. "Gee, thanks for the compliment. Would you like to have unprotected sexual relations with me?"
"I am Eydiir Daughter-of-Kaas, of the Ten Tribes," the Capellan announced, never looking up at Giles. "I am a Medical major."
"Excellent! Anything interesting to note about you?"
She seemed to consider the question before replying. "I killed my sister in a duel over a boy when I was fourteen."
